


A Spencer Family Christmas

by DinerGuy



Category: Psych
Genre: Christmas, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Suspense, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 07:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/607561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinerGuy/pseuds/DinerGuy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas has always been a neutral ground of peace and gift games between Henry and Shawn. They may have their minor spats and occasionally a dead body will get in the way but, still, it has been tradition. But this year, suddenly, tradition gets flipped on its head when Jack shows up out of nowhere, bleeding, and with a killer on his tail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Spencer Family Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dragonnan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonnan/gifts).



> Written for dragonnan in the Psychfic Secret Santa Fic Exchange of 2012.
> 
> Thank you to frankie_mcstein for the awesome beta job and amazing suggestions.
> 
> Nothing Psych belongs to me. Just borrowing for fun.

Shawn Spencer bit his lip and turned his head slightly to the side. He studied the door in front of him intently, as if staring at it would convince it to give up its closely guarded secrets. There was no sound from the other side of the door, and he was starting to wonder if his dad was ignoring him or just hadn't heard his knock.

He raised his hand to knock again, but before his fist could make contact with the wood, the door swung open and Henry appeared in the doorway.

"Well finally. Shawn, if you were going to be late, you could have at least called to let me know." Henry stepped aside to let his son enter the house.

Shawn stomped his wet feet on the rug and took off his jacket, which he hung over one of his dad's kitchen chairs before heading for the couch in the adjoining room. "I will have you know I am not late. It is technically still six pm on the dot and my phone can prove it." He held up the device towards his father.

"And you didn't happen to mess with that clock at all, did you?" Henry crossed his arms and looked meaningfully at the clock sitting on his mantle.

"Okay, fine, maybe," Shawn huffed. "I'm sorry, okay? It takes a little while to ride a motorcycle in the pouring rain. You have to be careful not to skid out on the pavement. Look, can we just get on with this or do we have to rehash every past Christmas where I've disappointed you?"

"Oh, so you admit you've disappointed me?"

Shawn sighed. "Dad, please, can we just have this Christmas without any fighting or anything? I could have gone with Gus to his family Christmas but I came here instead," Shawn protested.

"And is that by invitation or did you just assume they would want you intruding on their family celebration?" Henry asked. He sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Okay, fine, Shawn. I will try to forget how much you have behaved like an idiot so far if you will agree to actually act like a grown man for the rest of the night."

Shawn sighed and crossed his arms, sinking a little further into the couch cushions. He knew that this was the one time of year where he and his dad actually got together more or less in peace, and yet this year's get-together was already starting to deteriorate. And they hadn't even been in the same room for more than five minutes.

But rather than push the issue, his dad just crossed the room to pull a small, festively wrapped package from the his coffee table drawer.

Shawn's brow furrowed as he studied the gift in his dad's hands. He had quizzed Gus thoroughly several days before and had been fairly certain he knew what he was getting. After all, that was the point of the game. Figure out the gift before even opening it. He had been ready to declare that he, again, knew what he was getting, but this box looked a little small to be the item he had so carefully sleuthed out.

Unless his dad knew he knew and was just giving him a key to something that held his present. Shawn nodded to himself. That had to be it. The wrapped box was just about the right size to hold a key...

"Shawn?" Henry was watching him with a bemused expression on his face. "You can't expect us to have Christmas together when your mind is a million miles away."

"Oh, right," Shawn sat up a little straighter on the couch. "I was just..."

He never got to use his excuse because a knock on the door interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Now who in the world could that be?" Henry demanded. "It's Christmas day for Pete's sake."

Shawn had hoped his dad would leave the gift on the mantle or table so he could sneak in a good shake or two before he had to guess what it was, but no such luck. Henry still had the package in his hand as he headed for the door.

"Hey, Dad," Shawn jumped up from the couch, coming up behind his dad just as Henry opened the door.

Neither of them had been expecting to see the person on the other side of the door, and even if they had, they most certainly were not expecting to see him with a bloody shirt sleeve.

"Hey, big brother," Jack Spencer grinned, his left hand clutched over his right shoulder. "Mind if I stop in for a few minutes?"

"Uncle Jack?" Shawn was at his dad's side in an instant, the present all but forgotten in his mix of excitement and worry about his favorite treasure-hunting uncle.

"It's me," Jack replied, giving his nephew an wink. He looked back at his brother. "So how about it, Henry?"

"All right, all right," Henry sighed, stepping to the side so that the other man could enter. "But Jack, what in the world is going on? We don't hear from you for years and then all of a sudden you just show up on my front step, out of the blue, with... what is that? A bullet hole through your arm?"

"Well I can't say I don't appreciate the concern," Jack quipped as he made his way to the kitchen. "I really do. But you could at least sound a little more worried, you know. Might make it sound like I actually mean something to you." He shrugged off his wet raincoat, wincing as he moved his arm. He hung his jacket over one of the kitchen chairs, in which he then took a seat.

"Of course you mean something to me," Henry scoffed. He started to cross his arms, then stopped when he noticed the gift still in his hand. He looked over at Shawn. "Don't touch this," he warned, then set the package on the counter.

Shawn gave his dad the most innocent look he could muster.

Henry just rolled his eyes. "I mean it, Shawn." He moved over to where his brother was sitting. "Let me see."

"Ow!" Jack protested, although he did move his hand to allow Henry to inspect his arm.

"This is a bullet wound." Henry gave Jack a sideways look. "What happened? And don't give me any of that crap that usually passes for the truth with you. I want to know what happened, and I want to know now. If you are in trouble, that could very well be following you, and I need to know."

"You probably want to tell him," Shawn offered. "You know him as well as I do; that's his serious voice."

Jack shot him a look. "Thanks, Shawn." He twisted away with a hiss as Henry prodded at his wound. "Watch it!"

"Quit whining, Jack," Henry told him. "Well, you don't have a bullet in your arm, and it looks like just a graze. You'll survive, though I'm not sure if that's good or bad news," he remarked. "Shawn, go get the first aid kit."

"But I want to hear what happened," Shawn protested from where he was leaning against the doorway.

Henry gave him a stern look. "Now, Shawn."

"I promise I won't tell your dad anything until you get back," Jack offered, holding up his good hand and giving the younger man a smile.

Henry rolled his eyes, but Shawn nodded happily. "Deal."

"Can I at least get a drink while I'm waiting?" Jack asked as Shawn left the room.

Shawn hurried as fast as he could to retrieve the supplies his dad had asked for. He almost ran into the wall when he took a corner too fast in his stocking feet, but he managed to make it back to the kitchen without breaking anything - although the thought of what his dad would say if he had broken something was almost enough to make him laugh.

When he got back to the kitchen, his dad and uncle were waiting on him, although Jack appeared to be waiting much more patiently than his older brother was.

"There you are!" Jack grinned at his nephew. "Now, for what happened."

"Yes, please," Henry grunted, taking the supplies from Shawn. He busied himself on his brother's arm as Jack began.

"Okay, well, as you may have known, I recently got back in California, following the legend of a prospector's lost gold cache back in the days of the gold rush," Jack began, taking a drink from the bottle in his hand.

"No, we didn't know," Henry remarked, giving Jack a sarcastic look. "How are we supposed to when we haven't heard from you in, what has it been, four years?"

Shawn nodded at that. "But four years isn't that long between family, is it?" he chuckled. "I mean, come on, Dad, I was gone for much longer than that after high school."

"You also sent postcards," Henry shot back. "And don't get me started on that topic, Shawn. I am trying to get a straight answer out of your uncle here, and you are not helping."

Shawn shrugged. "Okay, I tried. So, did you find any treasure, Uncle Jack?" he asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"I am more interested in where you got shot and if there is a killer on your trail," Henry said, ripping a final piece of tape and positioning it over the gauze on Jack's arm. "That'll hold you for now." He took a seat across the table from his brother and crossed his arms. "Now continue, please, before we all get any older."

"Fair enough," Jack shrugged.

Shawn took a seat at the table as well, and the look on his face could only be described as ecstatic. "Did a grumpy old prospector shoot you?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Jack replied, smiling at the look on his nephew's face. "It's the truth, Henry," he protested when his brother rolled his eyes. "Look, I convinced this guy, Vincent Delgado, to join in with me as my partner-"

"Why am I not surprised," Henry sighed.

Jack just gave him a look and continued. "We were doing just great. He had the boat and other resources needed, and I had the information about where the prospector had moved after striking it rich. I did find the place that the guy wrote about in his journal, too, but then that's when things got sticky."

"Can we move this along please?" Henry sighed, sitting back in his chair. "Like to the part where I know if I need to be worried about any of your old partners showing up at my door?"

"Oh, right, that," Jack nodded slowly. "Well I don't think I was followed, if that's what you're asking."

Henry slammed a fist on the table, pushing his chair back as he jumped to his feet. "Jack, you should know better by now!" he exclaimed, running a hand over his head in frustration. "When you showed up in town after that pirate treasure, how many people did you promise could be partners with you?"

Shawn raised a hand. "I was one."

"And you took the gold from me," Jack told him, giving Shawn a sideways look.

"True," Shawn shrugged.

"Good grief, Shawn, this is serious!" Henry wasn't done. "Jack, what were you thinking?"

Jack shrugged. "I was thinking I needed to find the gold."

"So how did you tick off this partner?"

"Ooh, air quotes!" Shawn grinned. "Good job, Dad."

Henry just glared at him.

"Look," Jack held up his hands, only wincing slightly at the movement. "I may have overheard one of Vincent's phone conversations when he thought I wasn't around. He was talking about planning to off me once we found the gold so he could keep it all." He lowered his hands and took another drink before continuing. "So, naturally, I did what anyone in my situation would do."

"Screamed like a little girl and ran away?" Shawn guessed.

"Close," Jack replied. "I didn't scream, but I did run."

"And Delgado heard you, gave chase, and shot you," Henry finished.

Jack made a face and shrugged. "Pretty much. What can I say, the guy was upset."

Shawn looked between his dad and uncle, his expression showing that there was clearly something on his mind. "Did you actually find the gold?" he finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

"Shawn, there are more important things to be worried about right now," Henry scolded, crossing his arms as he came to stand in front of his brother.

Jack gave Shawn a sideways smile. "Let's just say the gold is somewhere safe where Delgado can't find it."

"Yes!" Shawn held up a fist and pulled it down to his side in a victory gesture, then stopped and looked up at his dad. "I mean, right. We should probably be worried about if Delgado is coming after you or not."

"Like I said," Jack repeated what he had told his brother earlier. "I'm pretty sure he did not follow me here."

"Either way," Henry replied, "we're going to the police."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Jack wanted to know, raising an eyebrow.

"Am I..." Henry scoffed. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" He didn't give his brother a chance to respond but turned towards where his truck keys were sitting on the counter by the door. "Come on. In the truck. Now," he added firmly when Jack opened his mouth.

Jack sighed reluctantly. "Okay, you win," he conceded, pushing his chair back and standing up from the table.

"Dad," Shawn started, "do we really need to go all the way down to the police station on Christmas day?"

"Of course we do, Shawn, don't be silly," Henry replied simply. "If Jack is in trouble, the police need to know about it, and it makes a whole lot more sense for them to take care of it than for us to just sit around at the house waiting for this Delgado character to show up."

Shawn made a face. He hated it when his dad used logic. But Shawn Spencer had never been one to give up a point easily. "But wouldn't it be easier if we went find the gold ourselves first? I mean, come on," he grinned, "that way we would at least have proof that Uncle Jack is telling the truth."

"Shawn," Henry rolled his eyes, "we are not going on some wild goose chase while there is a dangerous man out there trying to find Jack. We are going to get your uncle somewhere safe and then we are going to finish Christmas together."

"And then?" Shawn prompted, giving Jack a look. "You don't expect us to just forget about the treasure, do you?"

Jack nodded at his brother. "The kid does have a point there, Henry. How about I make you both partners on the treasure with me, huh? We'll split it three ways as soon as we recover it."

"One problem," Henry told him, turning back towards his keys, "you've tried that line with me before. Remember how much trouble you caused last time you were in town?" He strode over to the door and opened it, then turned and motioned to his brother. "Now come on. Let's go."

"All right," Jack sighed, standing to his feet. He winked at Shawn. "Don't worry, kid. You and I can still go treasure hunting later."

"Promise?" Shawn asked excitedly.

"Promise," Jack nodded, reaching for his jacket.

Henry cleared his throat from where he was waiting by the door. "Not to break up the party, but I would like to actually get this taken care of before I waste my whole Christmas day."

"Have fun!" Shawn offered a wave as the brothers turned to head out the door.

"Oh no, Shawn, you're coming too." Henry shook his head. "I am not leaving you here alone in case Jack was followed."

Shawn crossed his arms. "Uncle Jack said he wasn't followed! And besides, Jules is off today, spending time out of town with her family, so she won't be there, and I think I remember seeing an advertisement for a marathon of  _MacGyver_. So I'll just hang out here until you two get done."

"No," Henry repeated. "Shawn, get out here now. You are not staying here alone and that's final."

"Fine," Shawn sighed. "Then I'll just go home. Lassiter will probably keep you at the station until midnight anyway. I'll come back tomorrow and we can try this Christmas thing a second time."

"Shawn," Henry started to protest.

"Ah, what's the harm?" Jack spoke up. "Let the kid go on home, Henry. I've been to police stations before; there's a lot of paperwork that always takes forever. I'm sure Shawn would much rather not have to sit through it all."

Shawn nodded quickly. "Yeah, Dad."

"Fine," Henry sighed. "Whatever. Jack, let's go."

"Here, Shawn." Jack turned and tossed Shawn a set of keys. "Why don't you drive my car? It's pouring out there and I'm sure that's no fun on a motorcycle."

"Thanks, Uncle Jack!" Shawn grinned. He waved. "You two have fun now."

"I'll expect you back here at noon tomorrow," Henry told his son, giving him a stern look. "We are still going to have our Christmas together."

Shawn nodded distractedly. "Okay, sure, Dad. Does it go fast?" he asked, turning the keys over in his hands.

"Maybe. Not recommended on wet roads though," Jack winked.

"Can we go now, please?" Henry asked, crossing his arms where he stood at the door.

Shawn grabbed his jacket off the chair and hurried outside onto the porch. "I'm going, I'm going."

The rain was still coming down in buckets, so Shawn made a quick dash to the small red car parked near the end of Henry's driveway. It was unlocked, and he pulled the door open and jumped in, glad to get out of the downpour.

He turned the key in the ignition and flicked on the headlights and windshield wipers. Shifting the gear into reverse, he started down the driveway. As he pulled out onto the road, the rain let up just slightly, but it was still coming down hard enough to make visibility almost nothing.

Shawn took a deep breath and made a face. He had actually been looking forward to this Christmas, even though he and his dad seemed to always fight whenever they were together, but the night had not turned out like he had expected. Although he wasn't going to complain that Jack was back in town. Shawn grinned as he remembered his uncle's promise that they would go treasure hunting together.

A little voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Gus reminded him of all the trouble they had ended up in when they had gone looking for pirate treasure with Jack. Shawn was about to argue back that they had also had an exciting adventure and found pirate gold, but suddenly the watery world outside of his windows spun around him.

Adrenaline coursed through Shawn's system as the sound of squealing tires filled the air. What was it Gus had said about hydroplaning? Was it turn the wheel with the car or the opposite way?

Shawn didn't have a chance to think very hard on the subject. There was a sudden bump as the car hit the shoulder of the the road, then Shawn's head smacked against the window on his left. Although he would never admit it to Gus, but instead invent some wildly dramatic and completely fictional version of the events that happened next, his surroundings blurred and he lost track of time for a moment.

The next thing he felt was the odd sensation of being airborne as the car left solid ground. The realization that he was probably in trouble popped into his mind, but then a bright light exploded in his vision and he lost consciousness.

* * *

"Now you are going to tell Detective Lassiter exactly what you told Shawn and me at the house," Henry was instructing as he and Jack walked through the front doors of the station.

"I know, I know." Jack did not look happy about being there, but Henry didn't exactly care. His brother had ruined Christmas Day, one of the few times of the year where Shawn actually tried to behave when they got together. Henry just wanted to take care of this interruption and get back home before it got too late.

"Henry!" Lassiter's voice carried through the station as the head detective hurried towards them. Juliet was with him, and neither detective looked very happy.

Henry nodded in greeting. "Lassiter. This is my brother, Jack; I don't think you two met last time he was in town." Henry gave his brother a look.

Before Jack could respond, however, Lassiter spoke up, "I know who he is. Jack Spencer," he turned to Jack, "you are under arrest for the murder of Vincent Delgado."

"What?" Henry and Jack asked at the same time.

"I didn't kill anyone!" Jack protested as Lassiter grabbed his arm. "I didn't, Henry!"

"What's going on here?" Henry demanded, looking between Lassiter and Juliet. He had definitely not been expecting this reception.

"Henry," Juliet spoke up, pulling him aside as Lassiter informed Jack of his rights, "A man named Vincent Delgado was found shot to death tonight. We found Jack's blood and fingerprints at the scene."

Henry shook his head, glancing over at his brother. "Look, Detective O'Hara, I know that my brother is not the most scrupulous guy around. I'll admit that. But I do know that he is not capable of murder!"

"It doesn't matter," Juliet said softly. "The evidence implicates him, Henry. We have a warrant, and unless more evidence surfaces to say otherwise, he's under arrest."

Sighing, Henry ran a hand over his head. "Okay, I understand. I'm going to look into this, though," he added, raising his voice so Jack could hear as a uniformed officer arrived to take him to booking. "Jack, I'm going to find out what happened." He turned back to Juliet. "I'm calling Shawn."

"The department doesn't need to hire any consultants on this case," Lassiter snapped, coming up to join his partner. "We've already arrested the murderer. Thanks for bringing him in, by the way."

Henry shook his head. "Lassiter, he's my brother. I don't care what evidence you have. Jack did not kill that man, and I am going to do whatever it takes to prove it." With that, he pulled his phone from his pocket and turned away to make his call.

"Come on, Shawn," Henry muttered as the phone rang over and over. When his son's voicemail answered, Henry sighed and disconnected the call. He scrolled through his contacts and pulled up Gus' number.

Gus answered on the third ring.  _"Hello?"_

"Gus, is Shawn with you?"

" _No, I'm at my parents' house,"_ Gus replied.  _"Did he not show up tonight?"_

Henry sighed. "Actually, he did. Look, it's a long story, but I'm at the police station right now. Jack is back in town, and Lassiter just arrested him for murder."

" _What?"_ Gus sounded shocked.

"I know. Look, I need you and Shawn to come down here and help me investigate," Henry told him.

" _Mr. Spencer, it's Christmas. Joy is here,"_ Gus objected, his voice reluctant.

"Gus," Henry took a deep breath. "I know it's Christmas. Can you at least give Shawn a call for me? He went back to his apartment and he's not answering my calls."

There was a pause, then Gus' voice came through the phone again.  _"Sure, I'll call him."_

"Thanks," Henry acknowledged.

He heard Gus sigh, then the younger man continued,  _"And I'll be down there as soon as I can."_

* * *

Within half an hour, Gus was hurrying up the steps in front of the Santa Barbara Police Department. He gave the officer at the front desk a polite wave as he went past, but his thoughts were on the phone call he had received from Henry.

Gus headed straight for Lassiter and Juliet's desks. When they came into sight, he saw Henry in a chair next to Juliet's, a cell phone in his hand and a worried look on his face. Juliet had her desk phone to her ear, a matching expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Gus asked, looking around. Shawn was nowhere to be seen, and Gus had a sinking feeling that the looks on Henry and Juliet's faces had something to do with that fact. "Where is Shawn?"

Henry sighed. "We don't know, Gus. We're trying to get a hold of him, but no luck so far."

"No answer," Juliet shook her head and hung up the phone.

"I didn't get anything when I called him either." Gus pulled out his own phone and pressed the speed dial button to call Shawn again. After a moment, he lowered the device from his ear. "I'm still not getting anything."

"Maybe Spencer is just ignoring us," Lassiter suggested, coming up to join the group, a steaming mug in his hand. "That has happened before."

"No," Henry shook his head. "He wouldn't ignore all three of us for this long. Something is wrong."

"Well, I have more important things to do than worry about pain in the neck police consultants whose services are not needed at the moment," Lassiter announced, taking a seat at his desk. "There's enough paperwork to do already for your brother's arrest."

Henry shook his head. "I don't like this. I'm going drive by his apartment and check on him."

"He's a grown man, Henry, even if he doesn't always act like it," Lassiter said without looking up from his computer. "I'm sure Spencer is just watching a movie or something and didn't want to bother answering your calls."

"I'm coming with you," Gus said, giving the head detective a look.

Juliet smiled sympathetically at Henry and Gus. "I wish I could come with you. Call me as soon as you find out what's going on."

"Will do," Gus promised. He turned and hurried after Henry, who was already halfway to the door.

* * *

Something cold and wet dripping in his face woke him up.

Shawn started and opened his eyes, wincing at the pain caused by his surprised jerk. Everything seemed to hurt all at once, and he was surprised his brain hadn't overloaded from all the messages being sent to it from his various nerve endings.

He moved a hand to swipe at the ice cold liquid hitting his face and cried out as fire shot through his right shoulder. Something was apparently broken or torn or injured... He just wasn't completely sure what because his entire arm was completely numb.

It was also draped above his head, he suddenly realized. His left arm was as well, although when he tentatively moved it, it was working perfectly fine. He winced as the circulation returned to it, then frowned in confusion.

Why were his arms hanging above his head? Was he that concussed or had something actually happened to gravity?

Then the thought hit him. He was upside down.

It would explain a lot of things, actually. His arms hanging up but down for one, but also the fact that it felt as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his head and was now staying there. He groaned. On top of everything else, a headache was really not going to help things. He was having a hard time thinking straight, it hurt so badly.

His legs were wedged under the steering wheel, which explained why they weren't falling in his face. And his seatbelt held him against the seat, which kept him from being unceremoniously positioned against the ceiling of the car.

He needed to call someone, he decided. Either Gus or Jules or his dad. His dad might have even noticed him missing, depending on how long it had been since he had crashed - which he didn't exactly know, seeing as how the clock on the dashboard was no longer working.

In fact, Shawn suddenly realized, nothing on the dashboard seemed to be working, even though the car had been on when it had crashed. He was no mechanic, but Shawn could guess that whatever damage had been done to the vehicle in the wreck had been enough to ruin any electrical charges to the dashboard.

The downside was that nothing inside the car was giving off any illumination at all. And since it was night out, no light made its way into the interior of the car, making it impossible to see anything other than blackness.

All the more reason to call for help. He could be in bigger trouble than just a car wreck and not even know it.

Shawn started to put a hand into his pocket to pull out his phone, then stopped himself with a small whimper of pain as he moved his injured right arm. Biting his lip, he took a deep breath, then used his left arm to reach across and into his right pocket.

As he pulled his phone out, however, it slipped from his hand, which was still full of pins and needles from the blood again beginning to flow. It fell past his head and landed with what sounded like a splash.

Shawn frowned and dropped his hand to retrieve the device. His fingers hit something icy and wet, and he jerked his arm back up to his side in surprise.

He suddenly realized that water was somehow leaking into the vehicle. He must have crashed into a ditch or other depression alongside the road, and the pouring rain was causing a buildup of water that had nowhere else to go.

Well this was just great. He felt around for the phone, but it took what felt like at least five minutes before his hand finally came into contact with it. It probably had not been that long, he told himself, but it had still taken way too long. The water had chilled his hand even in the short time he had submerged it, and he was already starting to shiver as he brought the device up to his face.

Although the screen lit up when he pressed the button on the top of the phone, it only put off a feeble amount of illumination. It flickered for a moment, then slowly went dark.

"No!" Shawn groaned, hitting the button several times in an attempt to bring it back.

Nothing happened, however, and he was forced to admit that the dip into the water had done it in. He sighed in frustration and stuck the phone back into his pocket. Maybe Gus would know how to fix it later.

The temptation to pout was strong, but Shawn forced himself to concentrate on how to get out of the situation he was now in. He needed to get out of the car, Shawn decided. Normally he would be all for just waiting on rescue, but he couldn't call for help and he wasn't sure who even knew he was in trouble. His dad probably assumed he had gone back to his apartment and everyone else was celebrating the holidays and would have no reason to come looking for him.

Suddenly, Shawn felt something cold and wet lap against the top of his head. He put his hand down again and realized that the water was higher than it had been when he had searched for his phone in it. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Shawn realized that the water coming into the car was rising, which made sense based on the sound of the rain against the outside of the car.

Well this would definitely pose a hazard to his health. He definitely needed to get out now.

He again stretched his left hand to unbuckle his seatbelt so that he could work on getting out of the car. When he pushed against the release, however, nothing happened.

Shawn's stomach clenched as he tried again. The latch still did not open, even when he pushed it repeatedly.

Trying not to get frantic, Shawn pulled at the belt in an attempt to loosen it, but none of his attempts made the belt yield at all. It was stuck firmly.

The water was now past the top of his head and lapping icily at his forehead as he yanked at the belt yet again. It did not give even slightly, and the thought suddenly hit him that he was trapped.

It was not a welcome thought, and the feeling of the cold water was making things even worse. Shawn tried not to think of the possibility that he would not get out of this alive, but it was a hard thing to ignore.

He swallowed. Of all the times he and Gus had found themselves in danger over the years from their investigations, none compared to this time. Sure, they had faced down murderers with guns, nearly been knocked off of a building, and there had even been the time he had been kidnapped and had to run through the woods with a bullet hole in his shoulder. But he had been able to do something to get out of trouble each of those times.

This was different.

There was nothing he could do to get out of this one. He was unable to unbuckle his seatbelt, and he had nothing to use to cut himself loose. Water was continuing to leak into the car, rising higher and higher, as he sat upside down and helpless to avoid it.

* * *

The rain was still sheeting down as Henry slowly turned his truck into the parking lot outside of the former dry cleaning business that now served as Shawn's apartment. The first thing both he and Gus noticed was the lack of any vehicles in the lot.

"The car isn't here," Henry stated, more to himself than to the man in his passenger seat.

Gus nodded quietly. "He should have gotten here by now, even with the rain, right?" It was almost as if he was hoping Henry would tell him that he had gotten the timing wrong and that Shawn could very well still be driving along on the road between Henry's house and the apartment.

"He should have gotten here already," Henry replied. He sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Gus."

Gus swallowed. "Don't say that. Maybe he just got a flat tire or ran out of gas," he suggested hopefully.

"Then let's go find him," Henry said firmly, putting the truck in reverse.

As he pulled back out onto the road, his phone rang. Careful to keep his eyes on the dark, rainy asphalt that stretched in front of him, Henry pulled out the device and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

" _Did you find him?"_  Juliet asked.

"No." Henry shook his head, even though he knew the detective couldn't see him. "We're going to see if he broke down on the way back to his apartment."

" _Okay, good. Hey, look, I just wanted to call and let you know we tested Jack for gunshot residue,"_  Juliet said, her voice slightly distorted through the phone line.  _"There was none."_

"I told you he didn't shoot anyone!" Henry exclaimed, causing Gus to look over with a questioning expression.

" _Well, we can't let him go just yet,"_ Juliet continued.  _"There's the possibility that he wore gloves and changed his clothes since the murder. But things don't look quite as airtight against him now. We're looking into other possible suspects right now."_

"Anyone promising?"

" _Did Jack happen to say anything to you about another partner?"_ Juliet asked.  _"We've found evidence that he and Delgado were working with another person, a man by the name of Ronald Hawkins."_  She paused.  _"Does that name sound familiar?"_

"No," Henry replied. "But that doesn't mean anything. I didn't even know my brother was in town again until he showed up at my house."

" _Okay,"_  Juliet acknowledged.  _"We'll keep looking into it; Hawkins has quite the record of assault and robbery, among other things."_

"Okay, great. Thanks for calling, Detective," Henry told her. He paused, then continued. "Detective?"

" _Yes?"_

"Can you track Shawn's phone?" Henry asked. "I'm sure he's fine, but we haven't been able to find him yet and," he paused for a moment, "I'm starting to get worried."

Juliet sighed and Henry could tell she was hiding her own worry.  _"I'll see what I can do."_

* * *

Shawn shivered, hunching his shoulders tighter in an attempt to conserve as much of his body heat as he could. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. His right shoulder did not hurt quite as much anymore, but Shawn couldn't be too grateful for the fact, since he was pretty sure it was due to numbness from the cold.

In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything at the moment. He had long since lost most of the feeling in his legs, but that was most likely because they were getting no circulation. He could no longer feel the fingers in his right hand either, although his left was only just going numb. But that made sense because he had avoided moving his right arm as much as possible and only used his left for everything.

Even his ears felt like they were going numb at this point. When the still-rising water had reached below his eyebrows, he had bent forward as much as he could, trying to stay above the waterline. He had only succeeded in raising himself a few inches, which was at least something, but he could feel the icy liquid still rising, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was in danger of being engulfed again.

Plus his back was really starting to ache, and he wasn't sure how long he would be able to hold himself hunched up like he was.

To distract himself, he thought of his dad and uncle... They had probably made it to the station by now. He wondered what Lassiter had thought of the story.

He was starting to get tired, Shawn realized with a yawn. All he wanted to do was just close his eyes and go to sleep...

Belatedly he realized that probably was not a good thing. If he remembered right from the time Gus had been talking about... something that Shawn couldn't currently remember, the fact that he was tired and not shivering very hard anymore meant that he was most likely developing hypothermia.

His head was aching badly now, a combination of having hit it against the window earlier and the blood all rushing to it as he sat upside down. Shawn tried to think of ways to stay awake, but his mind wasn't cooperating as well as it normally did. At a loss for any better ideas, he finally settled on reciting the alphabet. That was simple enough.

"A..." he said out loud, his voice sounding hoarse and loud in the quiet of the car. "Autopsy," he added, almost as an afterthought. If he was going to be reciting something as childish as the alphabet, he might as well make it interesting.

"B... Burton Guster. Of course," he added. "And C is for... Carlton Lassiter." Shawn paused, then made a face. "Or Christmas."

He could feel the water inching a little farther against the back of his neck now, and he felt blindly for the seatbelt, pushing down the panic that was starting to clench at his chest. Getting frantic now wouldn't do any good.

* * *

Henry and Gus were driving slowly along the road, both keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of Shawn. The combination of the weather and the fact that it was Christmas day meant there were hardly any cars to be seen on the road. The headlights of Henry's truck illuminated nothing but rain-soaked asphalt as they drove in silence.

Both were caught up in their own thoughts and their straining attempts to make out any sign of the red car Shawn had been driving.

When Henry's cell phone rang a moment later, both men nearly jumped out of their skins. Gus gasped and put a hand to his chest as he tried to calm his racing heart. Henry just yanked the device from his pocket and quickly glanced at the screen before turning his eyes back onto the road.

"Detective O'Hara, please tell me you located my son," he answered.

Gus was still watching their surroundings, but he was also paying close attention to Henry's side of the conversation.

"What?" Judging from Henry's tone, whatever news Juliet had was not good. Henry sighed heavily and then continued. "Well, can we find him a different way?" He paused again.

Gus glanced over at Henry, and although the interior of the truck was dark, he could just imagine the look on the older man's face at the moment.

"Look, my brother has never been one to make a long term commitment like buying a car," Henry was saying. "I wouldn't be surprised if the car he let Shawn drive was a rental... Yes, exactly. Let me know what you find out. Gus and I will keep looking in the meantime."

There was an electronic  _beep_  as Henry hung up the phone, then he sighed and spoke up.

"They traced Shawn's phone," he told Gus, "but there is no signal. Either his phone is off or disabled... Either way, we aren't finding him that way." Henry paused, then continued. "She's going to try to find out where Jack rented his car and track the GPS," Henry continued. "We are going to find him, Gus."

* * *

The interior of the car was dark and quiet, save for the drumming of the rain outside. The figure in the driver's seat kept a watchful eye out of the windshield as he drove through the night. He had followed at a safe distance after his partner had left the house, but an unlucky flat tire had slowed him down.

Now that the spare had replaced the damaged tire, he was attempting to find his partner again, although he was not completely sure how easy it would be to locate him. The pouring rain made things difficult, but he was determined that the other man would not get away.

He happened to glance out of his side window just then, and a patch of torn grass alongside the road caught his eye. It was completely by accident that he had actually noticed it; the rain and darkness made it hard to see very far.

He slowed down to look closer in case he had just been seeing things. But no, there were definitely tire tracks. The marks disappeared over the side of a drop off along the shoulder of the road. He was not sure if the tracks actually belonged to the car he was trying to find or not, but he decided to take a look just in case.

If it was the car he had been following, he hoped the other man had survived the crash. After all, if his partner was dead, there would be no way to find where Jack had hidden the treasure.

* * *

"They found him!" Henry exclaimed, hanging up his phone.

It had rung again as Henry and Gus were just reaching the halfway point between the Psych office and Henry's house. They had been driving as slowly as possible in order to raise their chances of spotting any sign of Shawn, which meant the trip was taking them much longer than it would have normally, even in the rain.

Gus breathed a sigh of relief. "Is he okay?"

"Juliet wasn't sure," Henry replied. "They traced the GPS of Jack's rental car and are on their way to its location right now."

"Okay then," Gus nodded once. "How far away is he?"

Henry accelerated as quickly as he dared. "Only a few minutes."

They fell back into silence as they sped down the road, each with their own thoughts to occupy them.

Henry was thinking of how he should have never agreed to let Shawn drive off in that car alone. Jack had been shot, and if he had been followed, there was every chance that the shooter knew what his car looked like. If Shawn was hurt because of that, Henry would never forgive himself for not thinking of the possibility while they were all still together at the house. His son would have been upset with him, but Henry should have insisted they all go to the station. At least he would only have had to deal with a grumpy son, not a missing one.

In the passenger seat, Gus was also thinking of his best friend. He had been just a little perturbed when Henry had called to ask him to come down to the station on Christmas Eve. After all, the holidays were supposed to be spent with family, not working to solve a murder. He had to smile a little as he realized that, since he and Shawn had started Psych, all of his holidays had included a murder investigation. He had been hoping things would be different this year, though. But now, none of that seemed important. His friend was in trouble, and Gus could do nothing but worry because he had no idea what had happened.

Even though both Henry and Gus had a sinking feeling that Shawn was in serious trouble, both were hoping all they would find when they arrived was Shawn attempting to fix a flat tire.

* * *

Shawn was currently wishing all he was having to do was fix a flat tire in the pouring rain. The idea seemed a lot more attractive than the situation in which he currently found himself.

He had kept himself hunched over for as long as he could manage, but eventually his muscles grew too twitchy and achy for him to continue. He straightened his back, stretching out to relieve the spasms that were taking hold, and immediately his head was immersed in ice cold water. He had not thought to take a breath first, and he had to pull himself, spluttering and coughing, back up to keep from inhaling any more water than he already had.

The muscles in his back protested being forced to pull taut again. Shawn took a deep breath and straightened again, allowing his muscles to relax. When he could no longer hold the air, he slowly and painfully hunched over again, relieved to be breathing again. He kept himself out of the water for as long as he could but finally had to repeat the process in order to relieve the pain in his back.

It was a never-ending process of movement, and combined with the fact that he felt as if the cold had permanently taken root in his bones, Shawn was growing quite tired quite fast.

It took strength that he did not have to keep doing the upside down sit ups he was having to do to keep himself breathing. He didn't have a choice, though, Shawn told himself. It was either this or drown, and though he was not fond of the first option, he was even less eager to go with the second.

Taking another deep breath, he again allowed himself to sit back against the seat and submerge his head. The water was now at his neck, and it was still rising.

The thought again entered his mind that no one knew where he was and that they would not find him in time, but he did his best to push it away. There was no use in thinking the worst... even if the worst might quite possibly be true. Besides, following that train of thought would only tempt him to give up and not bother hunching over next time, and Shawn wasn't quite ready to go that far.

But before his thoughts could continue in either direction, there was a noise from the outside of the car. It sounded a little like a car engine, but it was hard to tell over the sound of the storm.

At first, Shawn was tempted to just ignore it. It was most likely a figment of his imagination, he told himself. Was hallucination part of hypothermia? He knew he should have paid more attention the time Gus was telling him about it.

* * *

As Henry and Gus neared the location Juliet had given them, both were fighting anxiety over what they would find. They had both been hoping for the best but also realizing at the same time that there was every chance they would come upon the worst.

When they rounded the bend, the first thing they saw was not the car Shawn had been driving, but a black SUV parked on the shoulder of the road. No one was in sight as Henry pulled in behind the vehicle, but a faint light could be seen through the rain from the ditch that ran alongside the road.

Henry's eyes narrowed. He knew it was possible that his son had run into trouble and that it belonged to a friendly passerby, but there was an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him think otherwise.

"Stay here," Henry told Gus, opening his door. "I'm going to go check things out."

"Uh-uh," Gus shook his head. "There is no way I am staying put until I know Shawn is okay." He opened his door as well. "I'm coming with you."

Henry gave him a look and was about to respond when another vehicle pulled up on the road. Juliet and Lassiter, both attired in raincoats, jumped out. Henry and Gus got out of the truck and hurried to meet them. The rain was still pouring down, and although it was not quite as heavy as it had been earlier in the evening, it was still enough to soak all four to the bone by the time they were within earshot of each other.

Lassiter pointed towards the ditch. "It looks like his car went off the road here," he yelled to be heard above the storm, pointing towards the grass next to the road. It was torn up as if someone had recently spun out on it. "It corresponds with the GPS signal for the car."

"Okay then," Henry yelled back.

"I called for an ambulance," Juliet informed them, her voice raised as well. She had a hand raised to shield her face from the driving raindrops, but it was not doing much good. "They should be here soon."

Everyone was thinking the same thing, that they hoped the paramedics were not needed, but no one said it out loud.

Lassiter looked towards the SUV parked nearby. "Who is that?"

"No idea," Henry shook his head in response.

"Then let's go find out," the detective said, mouth set in a determined line. "O'Hara, wait here for the ambulance and let them know where we went." He clicked on the large flashlight in his hands and pointed it towards the side of the road. The bright beam cut through the darkness as Lassiter strode across the wet pavement.

Henry hurried after him. Their steps squished in the soaking wet grass, their weight causing them to sink down as water pooled up around their feet. Gus was saying something to Juliet behind them, but it was difficult to make out much more than the vague sound of his voice through the rain.

Up until that point, the bad weather had only consisted of very heavy rain, but now thunder rolled above them. It was almost as if the skies were giving them a sign that something ominous was underway.

As Henry and Lassiter reached the edge of the deep ditch, lightning cracked across the sky, lighting up the scene in front of them in much more detail than could be currently seen by the light of Lassiter's flashlight. The beam of the light, while powerful, was having a hard time cutting fully through the darkness, and the lightning provided a much more full view of the entire scene.

The sight made Henry's heart clench with worry. Jack's red rental car, the car that Shawn had been driving, was lying upside down at the bottom of the ditch. It was banged up on all sides, but that was not the part that had Henry the most worried.

The worst part was the water that the car was sitting in. The waterline reached halfway up the windows, although Henry could only guess as to how much had gotten into the vehicle. Judging from the state of the rest of the car, however, it was not hard to imagine just as much water being inside of the car.

It made Henry want to run as fast as he could to reach his son, but he could not move that quickly and still maneuver the side of the ditch safely.

Thunder rumbled through the night again, and when the next flash of lightning came, Henry saw a shadowy figure down by the car. The person must have been on the other side of the vehicle the first time, which was why he had gone unnoticed.

Again, Henry had that unsettled feeling in his gut, and one glance at Lassiter's face told Henry that the detective was having similar thoughts.

By now, they were close enough that the beam of the flashlight was able to illuminate most of the scene, and Henry now saw the gun clenched in the man's hand.

If his gut feeling had not been enough before, the sight of the weapon certainly was.

"SPBD!" Lassiter's shout rang through the night, loud enough to carry even through the pouring rain.

The man down by the car looked up, then ran to the other side of the vehicle, out of sight. Henry and Lassiter hurried down the steep incline as fast as they could, impeded slightly by the weight of their soaking wet clothing. Henry could see the water down at the bottom of the ditch was fairly deep, and as the ground began to level out, the water reached farther and farther up their legs.

As they approached the car, the sound of gunfire filled the air, and the muzzle flash added to the illumination provided by Lassiter's flashlight.

The detective had already pulled his gun and was looking for the opportunity to use it, ignoring the ice cold liquid that was now almost up to his knees.

Henry was worriedly studying the overturned car. He couldn't get to his son at the moment, not with a gunman on one side of the car, but the depth of the water had him worried. If even half of the water in which he was currently standing was inside of the car, Shawn was in serious trouble.

A look of determination came over his face, and he sloshed over to the passenger door. Gunman or no gunman, he was going to get to Shawn. He would never forgive himself if the threat of getting shot had kept him from saving his son's life.

"This is the SPBD!" Lassiter bellowed again over the crack of the thunder. "Put your weapon down and come out with your hands up!"

The car door was jammed shut, and Henry put all his strength into yanking against it. It gave slightly, with the sound of metal scraping against metal, but after opening an inch, it stuck again. Henry could see the water pouring in now, and he frowned. Taking a deep breath and gathering his strength, he wrapped his fingers around the edge of the door frame. Just as he jerked against the metal, gunfire again sounded through the pounding rain.

The metal gave and the door wrenched open, as lightning once again lit up the scene.

What he saw was enough to give Henry the adrenaline needed to pull the door open the rest of the way.

His son was in the driver's seat, hanging upside down but still buckled securely in place. Shawn was grasping the steering wheel with his left hand, his right hanging uselessly above him. His son had pulled himself as close to the wheel as possible in an attempt to keep his head out of the water.

The water was almost past his head, however, and only his nose and part of his mouth and forehead were visible above the waterline. His lips were clamped tightly shut, and Henry told himself it was just the lighting that made them appear so blue.

Ignoring the frigid temperature of the water, Henry pushed into the car and reached for the seatbelt latch. It would not give however, so he reached into his jeans and pulled out his pocket knife. Ordinarily, he would leave his son in place and wait for the medics, in case Shawn had done any damage to his neck or back, but this was not an ordinary situation. Another few minutes, and Shawn would be unable to breathe in anything but water.

And Henry was not going to let that happen.

* * *

Shawn was vaguely aware of noises going on around him. It was a little hard to tell, however, since he was almost completely underwater at this point. He was still clutching the steering wheel, trying desperately to ignore the pain in his back and just keep his nose above the water. He could handle a sore back, but he was pretty sure he needed to keep breathing in air rather than freezing cold water.

Something bumped his side, and he jumped, startled.

Shawn cracked one eye open, but he could not see anything through the dark water. The option of reaching down to feel what was beside him was out of the question; his right arm was no good and using his left would mean letting go of the steering wheel, which would mean falling back into the water. He was pretty sure he would be able to hold his breath, but what he wasn't sure about was if he would be able to pull himself up above the waterline again. He was already exhausted, and he was fairly certain that he did not have the strength to do another sit up, even if his life depended on it, which it kind of did.

Something was moving in the water next to his right hip, and he hoped desperately that it was not some sort of mutant piranha out for blood. The idea worked well in a scary movie watched from the safety of Gus' couch last weekend, but in the current situation, it was not a welcome idea.

Then the seatbelt that had been holding him in place suddenly loosened, and only a pair of strong hands that he suddenly felt against his chest kept him from falling ungracefully against the windshield.

As it was, he did manage to hit his arm against the steering column, but there was almost no pain. The cold water had numbed his nerve endings, he belatedly realized, as the same hands that had caught him began pulling at him. Also belatedly, Shawn realized that whoever it was was trying to get him out of his seat, and he moved his legs in an attempt to help them.

The movement set off a myriad of pins and needles in his legs and feet, and Shawn bit back a weak cry of pain at the feeling.

"Come on, Shawn," he heard his dad's voice urging him. "You have to get out of here before you drown." His dad sounded worried, which Shawn told himself, he had a right to be.

Finally, between Shawn's kicking and wriggling and his dad's help, Shawn managed to disentangle himself from behind the steering wheel. Henry had his hands under Shawn's armpits now, and he hauled his son out of the damaged car and onto solid, if wet, ground.

Now free of the car and the water that had been threatening his life, Shawn suddenly felt everything crash down on top of him. His surroundings began to tilt and spin, and he heard his dad's shout of "Shawn!" before everything went dark.

* * *

The sudden dead weight from his son collapsing nearly brought Henry to the ground, but he managed to catch his balance. He lowered Shawn the rest of the way to the ground, pushing back the worry that was forcing its way into his mind.

"Shawn! Shawn, come on," Henry patted the side of his son's face, trying to get some response from him, but there was none.

Shawn lay completely still on the wet grass. The feeble bit of light that illuminated the scene showed his chest was still rising and falling, for which Henry allowed a small sigh of relief, but the situation was too dire to allow much more.

His son was lying still as death on the ground, and Henry was determined that he was not going to lose him. Not tonight. Not after everything they had been through.

He and Shawn were finally starting to have something of a functional relationship. Sure, they still had their moments, and sure, they still fought like nothing else sometimes. But it was a complete improvement on how things had been just a few short years back. When Shawn finally came back to town after his ramblings, they had just barely been on speaking terms. But now, after all that time, all that lost time when they had only grown farther apart, they were closer again.

And Henry was not going to let that end anytime soon.

"Henry."

The sudden voice startled him, and he looked up to see Lassiter standing a few feet away. The head detective had a hand up, shielding his eyes to a small degree from the downpour.

"I thought you should know that the man we arrested was surprised when he heard Shawn was the one in the car," Lassiter said. "He said he thought it was Jack Spencer's car."

Henry wiped a hand over his wet face, trying to clear the water from his eyes, although it did no good as the rain continued to come down.

"Apparently they were partners," Lassiter continued. "And we'll have to do some testing to be sure, but his gun is a match to the caliber that shot Delgado."

Henry gave a small nod at that. "I told you Jack didn't do it."

Just then, the darkness was cut by flashing blue and red lights. Both men looked up as the sound of sirens carried down to the bottom of the ditch.

This time Henry allowed himself a deeper sigh of relief. Help was here. His brother would not have to stand trial as a murderer.

At least this Christmas had a happy ending.

* * *

"I could have been watching Richard Dean Anderson save the world using only a roll of duct tape, some toothpicks, and his mullet," Shawn complained. "But instead, you made me go home and I ended up here."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Shawn, this was not my fault."

Shawn pouted. He would have crossed his arms, but the sling on his right hindered the movement. "I beg to differ."

"Well I'm glad to see your argumentative side is intact," Henry remarked. "Now stop trying to change the subject. You still need to guess what your gift is before I let you open it." He pulled Shawn's present from his jacket pocket and set it on the bed in front of his son.

"Really, Dad? I'm lying incapacitated in a hospital bed and you want to do this?" Shawn objected. "I think I've at least earned the privilege to skip this for one year."

Henry snorted. "You aren't incapacitated, Shawn. Now come on, guess."

"Okay," Shawn finally nodded, giving the gift a long look. "I was ready to guess that it was a boxed set of the Star Wars movies, based on what Gus told me last week, but that is definitely too small." He frowned. "Can't I just open it?" he asked, doing his best to look pathetic.

"Do you give up?" Henry asked, ignoring his son's whining.

"I never give up on anything," Shawn replied. "Well, except for that thousand piece puzzle Gus bought for us to do. But that was only because he lost some of the pieces."

"Shawn."

"Okay!" Shawn raised his left hand in a gesture of surrender. "I guess that it is a key to wherever you hid my real gift. Happy?"

Henry smiled. "Happier than you think."

"I got it wrong, didn't I?" Shawn made a face. "It's not my fault, you know. Look around; do you think I can really think things completely through when I am drugged up in a hospital bed? I had hypothermia and a head injury, you know!"

Raising an eyebrow, Henry sat back in his chair. "Quit complaining and open the present, Shawn."

"Fine." Shawn picked the gift up and held it in his hand for a moment. The box was slightly bigger than the palm of his hand, and he flipped it over to locate the seam in the paper.

Henry watched as he tore into the wrapping, revealing a plain white box.

"Oh, a box, Dad. How nice," Shawn remarked with a grin. He undid the flap that held the thin cardboard closed to find a second, smaller box inside. Shawn raised an eyebrow. "Is this one of those things where it's all just a bunch of boxes and I'll never get to the end of them?"

His dad didn't reply, just sat in his chair with an amused look on his face.

Shawn shook his head and opened the second box. He glanced inside, then looked up at Henry with a surprised expression, which he quickly hid as soon as he realized it showed.

"Don't tell me you thought I didn't know you took it," Henry told him, smiling.

"Well, I like to think that I can still pull some things over on you," Shawn commented, picking up the velvet ring box and turning it over in his hand.

Henry chuckled at that. "You can't pull anything over on me, kid."

His son was still looking at the box. "So this means I don't have to worry about sneaking the ring back into the house?"

"Only if you plan on proposing before next Christmas," Henry answered. "Otherwise, I expect you to return it. It's a family treasure, you know."

Shawn glanced up at that. "Speaking of treasure, when is Uncle Jack coming by? I need to remind him about our treasure hunting date."

"Shawn," Henry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I meant to tell you this... Your uncle left this morning."

"Left?" Shawn repeated in disbelief.

Henry nodded. "The guy Lassiter arrested at the accident scene turned out to be Jack's other partner, and his gun matched the ballistics from Delgado's murder. Jack was released from jail and then he just disappeared. We can't find him."

"Are you sure?" Shawn pressed, disbelief in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Henry patted Shawn's leg gently. "Sorry, kid."

There was a knock on the door just then, and Gus stuck his head in the room.

"Gus!" Shawn exclaimed, hiding his disappointment at his dad's news and giving his friend an excited smile. "Hey, buddy, I have an idea! What would you say to a little treasure hunt?"

* * *

Jack closed the door behind him as he stepped into the dimly lit room. The only light was that which was coming through the small window, and he felt on the wall for the switch to the overhead light.

It flickered as it came on, illuminating the interior of the cabin. Jack walked over to a table in the center of the room and unrolled the large paper in his hands. He flattened it out and grabbed several old-looking books sitting on the table to place over the corners to keep it open.

The door creaked open behind him, and Jack looked over his shoulder at the newcomer. The light-haired man nodded a greeting as he walked over to join Jack at the table.

"Found anything yet?" he asked in a British accent, adjusting his tie as he leaned over to study the map.

"Maybe," Jack replied, using his finger to trace a line on the yellowed paper in front of him. "But I'm close, partner!"

"We are close," the man corrected with a smile.

Jack nodded distractedly as he continued to study the map on the table. "Just stick with me, Pierre. We'll find that gold in no time."


End file.
